The proposed alignment framework in enterprise architecture development for the Omani public sector

The misalignment between Enterprise Architecture (EA) development and stakeholders’ goals plays a vital role in the low acceptance of EA in organizations and governments. Literature has highlighted the need for an alignment framework to support enterprise architects to align the development process of EA with the stakeholders’ goals. Hence, this research developed an alignment framework to align the EA development process with the stakeholders to produce an agreed architecture that supports the architects. Multiple Perspectives Theory (MPT) was used to develop a preliminary research model that provided the initial guidance in data collection and analysis. The research employed a qualitative case study approach to build an in-depth understanding of EA development process, enterprise architects and stakeholders’ roles, as well as the factors influencing the alignment between them. The Government Architecture Framework (GAF) of the Omani public sector was used as the case study that included GAF documentation review, and interviews with architects and stakeholders who participated in the development of GAF. The findings showed that twelve alignment factors influenced the development of GAF which are standardization, development scope, principles, governance, top management support, culture, commitment, awareness, communication, value of EA, change management capability and experience. These factors were used as the base to develop the alignment framework followed by a focus group session with GAF architects was organized to validate the final framework. As a conclusion, the study has shown that the alignment framework provides a comprehensive understanding for practitioners and academicians about the factors and their influences at each EA development step

Research Perspective in Enterprise Architecture

The challenges of aligning IT with business triggered the attention towards Enterprise Architecture (EA). Despite the increase interest of academic scholars in EA, there is scarcity of studies that provide an up to date comprehensive research perspective view. The purpose of this study is to examine the research methodologies and theories utilized in EA studies from 2010 to 2016. The study employed Systematic Literature Review (SLR) as method to explore and analyze the literature of EA. The study revealed the research approaches and data collection methods utilized in EA. It shows that case study approach and interviews are the highly used compared to other research approaches and data collection instruments. Furthermore, it pointed out the low employment of theories in EA studies. The study is contributing to the body of knowledge by providing a foundation for novice researchers in the area of EA through detailed discussions of research methodologies and theories which are expected to support them in designing future studies

Alignment Framework in Enterprise Architecture Development

The challenge of business-IT alignment, the increasing complexity of organizations’ operations and supporting organization transformation are the main drivers for organizations to adopt Enterprise Architecture (EA) concept. Despite the rapid interest in the EA, organizations are facing challenge to realize organizational value out of it. This challenge can be rooted to the lack of the stakeholders needs and concerns consideration in the final developed architecture which result in low utilization or no acceptance of EA. The enterprise architects and the stakeholders are the main players in the development phase of EA. Literature highlighted the need of alignment framework that can support the enterprise architects to align the development of EA with the stakeholders’ expectations. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of academic studies that shed the light on the alignment between the enterprise architects and the stakeholders during the development of EA. Hence, the purpose of this study is to develop a framework that supports the alignment between the enterprise architects and the stakeholders in EA development to ensure a mutual understanding and agreement. The study is guided by the interpretive paradigm to address the research gap through the utilization of a qualitative methodology. The research is using the case study approach to build in-depth understanding of the relationship between the enterprise architects and stakeholders in EA development. The understanding from Multiple Perspectives Theory is used to develop the initial research model to provide initial guidance in data collection and analysis. Currently, the research is at the analysis stage of case study data. The developed framework is expected to support the practitioners in the EA development by uncovering the factors influencing the alignment between the enterprise architects and the stakeholders during the development process. Additionally, the study is building a comprehensive understanding on how the enterprise architects consider the stakeholders needs and concerns in the development of EA

Enterprise architects and stakeholders alignment framework in enterprise architecture development

Literature has highlighted the need for an alignment framework to support enterprise architects to align the development process of EA with the stakeholders’ goals. Hence, this study developed an alignment framework to align the EA development process with the stakeholders to produce an agreed architecture. Multiple Perspectives Theory (MPT) was used to develop an initial research model that provided the guidance in data collection and analysis. The Government Architecture Framework (GAF) of the Omani public sector was used as a qualitative case study and 15 interviews conducted with the architects and the stakeholders who participated in the development of GAF. The findings showed that 12 alignment factors influenced the development of GAF which are standardization, development scope, principles, governance, top management support, culture, commitment, awareness, communication, value of EA, change management capability and experience. These factors were used as the base to develop the alignment framework. The framework was validated through a focus group session with GAF architects. As a conclusion, the study has shown that the alignment framework provides a comprehensive understanding for the practitioners and the academicians about the factors and their influences at each EA development step in the public sector of Oman

Enterprise architecture development approach in the public sector

Despite the increasing interest to adopt enterprise architecture (EA) concept, there is a scarcity of literature that discusses the development of EA in the public sector. Hence, the purpose of this article is to empirically investigate the development approach of EA in the public sector. The research used a qualitative case study to build an in-depth understanding of the development approach as well as the enterprise architects roles and the stakeholders' roles played at each development stage. The government architecture framework (GAF) of the Omani public sector was used as the case study that included GAF documentation review and interviews with architects and stakeholders who participated in the development of GAF. The findings showed that the GAF development started by establishing architecture knowledge, EA frameworks & IT standards analysis, high-level architecture framework, working group formation and the development of architecture documents. The enterprise architects had six roles whereas the stakeholders played three roles during the development of GAF. The findings are expected to expand the knowledge of the EA development approach to promote developing a standard EA framework for the public sector

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTS AND STAKEHOLDERS IN ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE DEVELOPMENT

The development of Enterprise Architecture (EA) is facing several challenges. The highly referenced challenges in literature are related to enterprise architects and stakeholders. The enterprise architects and the stakeholders are the main actors in EA development. However, there are limited studies that cover the relationship of the enterprise architects and the stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors characterizing the engagement of enterprise architects and the stakeholders in EA development. The study used a systematic literature review (SLR) as a method to identify the factors and proposing an initial engagement model. The SLR revealed 12 factors that influence the engagement between the enterprise architect and the stakeholders. These factors are organized using the multiple perspective theory under three perspectives namely; technical, organizational and personal that comprise the initial engagement model. The study is contributing by shedding the light on the key aspects of engagement factors between the enterprise architects and the stakeholders in the development of EA. Furthermore, it is an initial step towards developing the engagement framework by comprehending these key aspects

The level of gifted students' psychological well-being at the basic education schools in Muscat Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman

This quantitative research discussed the level of gifted student Psychological Well-Being at the basic education schools in Muscat. Many studies revealed that gifted people suffer a lot in their daily lives and suffer emotional and social problems. The objectives of the study were: To investigate the level of the psychological well-being of gifted students. The researcher used the descriptive quantitative statistical approach; the number of the study population reached (1300) students, the study sample was (311) gifted male and female students. The six-dimensional scale of psychological well-being was built according to Springer& Hauser, (2006) scale; It consists of (52) items, distributed over (6) domains. The findings revealed that; the psychological well-being level of gifted students at the basic education schools in Muscat was agree moderately with a mean of (4.875), when all domains ranged between agree strongly to agree slightly on the scale. The Self-acceptance domain with an agree strongly came first, with a mean of (5.178). The self-autonomy domain came second with agree moderately mean of (4.806). The other four domains were all agree slightly responsive when the means ranged between (4.064 to 4.375)